I haven’t seen the host. I live over there-‘ a facile wave in the direction of his residence, ‘And this man Gatsby sent over his chauffeur with an invitation.’

I struggled to hide the jolt in my composure. Surely, he must know who I am! Doesn’t everyone? How could I fail so easily at being the reputable host.

Quickly recovering, I offered my hand, ‘I’m Gastby.’

‘What! Oh, I beg your pardon.’ Carra...

All four of us looked up at the same time, our reactions the same.

“What the-“ I couldn’t hide my excitement. This was only supposed to be a socially distanced catch up, considering we hadn’t seen each other in a while, but that rapidly changed when we got lost in the forest.

This had now turned into some kind of adventure. To be honest, we should have been worried that we couldn’t find our way...

Debris was piled high, cluttering the streets that earlier in the day people walked to get to work and school. Buildings had collapsed in on themselves, taking furniture and livelihoods with them, riding families of homes and comfort. All that could be found in these piles of rubble was lost hope and tragedy. Many bodies of the people that we once knew and loved would soon be found among the emoti...

“Ready or not, here I come...”

A sinister voice called out into the empty air, waiting for a moment of confusion to fall upon the player of the innocent childhood game.

“You forgot to count to ten, dad!”

It’s funny that little children can’t recognise their parents voices from afar. It’s like an accident waiting to happen.

“Oh yeah! Sorry son,” there was no element of happiness or joy in the ...

i sit alone

in a lockdown

no way to leave my house

my family are here

each drawn apart

by crippling mental health

try as we might

to make it alright

it will never be easy

i sit alone

in a lockdown

with every other man

in his own isolation

no reason to leave his house

our friends are missing

all drawn away

by their own anxious states

their own crippling fears.

i sit alone

in a lockdown

with myse...

I don’t like losing. I never have. I’ve always been a sore loser. Playing games as a kid, playing games as an adult, I never want to lose. So when Jason told me I’d lost him to another woman, it was never going to end well.

So here I am, in a dark alley, watching a petit, blonde woman walk towards a car. Her name is Ashley, she’s 28 and she drives a white 2011 Vauxhall Corsa. I didn’t know that i...

I can’t see.

Not because it’s dark. Not because I’m afraid. I just can’t see. You see (excuse the pun), I’m blind.

I don’t recognise my surroundings. How would I, you might ask? Well, I don’t recognise the smell.

Everybody knows that when you lose a certain one of your senses, your others are heightened. I’ve never known what it’s like to see. I was born this way. I don’t know what the sky loo...

“He didn’t say that!”

“Yes. Yes, he did.”

“Was I there when this happened because I genuinely have no recollection of him even being there at all?”

“Yes, Malory, you were there. And no. He didn’t not say that his dad knew it was us.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you think he did or not! If I do, surely that’s enough to go on?!”

“Wait. Guys. Isn’t his dad a policeman...?”

Malory was always a li...

Sometimes, we have to make a decision. This may be a hard decision, but perhaps it’s the easiest one that you’ve ever made; you have to choose to start again.

Beginnings can be petrifying, they can be tough and rough and unkind. A fresh start isn’t always something to look forward to, often they are dreaded.

But that’s the thing about moving on, starting again, retrying - you get to take the les...

My leg was numb. My arm was numb. My heart was pounding. I could feel his warmth and hear his breath. Every single move he made, I flinched, extreme paranoia creeping in, as I tried to watch his hands from out the corner of my eye.

The darkness was deafening. I couldn’t decide if it was a blanket of safety, or the opposite, fully revealing everything, making my anxieties and vulnerabilities known...